Boom Supersonic, The Return of Supersonic Flights

Federico Tibytt

In a world in which transfer times have become a priority when selecting a mode of transportation, the return of supersonic flights will make flying a breeze. Travel times will get cut in half and travelers can purchase tickets at a reasonable price, ultimately changing the airline industry forever.

The American aviation company Boom has developed a new supersonic aircraft prototype through which it hopes to revive high-speed flights. It is an exclusive jet that will reach 2.2 Mach (1451 mph), i.e., that doubles the maximum of any current aircraft, and will connect New York with London in as little as 3 hours.

In a world in which transfer times have become a priority when it comes to selecting a mode of transportation, the return of supersonic flights is an obsession. But the problem has always been the costs. For example, the mythical Concord offered exaggeratedly high prices and very high operating costs, reasons that led to the suspension of its service in 2003.

In the world of aviation, the speeds reached by commercial aircraft have practically remain unchanged in the last 40 years, which is due to the fact that the necessary technologies to lower the costs of supersonic flights did not exist. However, this has finally changed, and the turbofan engines used by the Boom supersonic allow higher performance, better fuel consumption, and less auditory contamination.

Boom Supersonic will fly at 60,000 feet

The aerospace construction materials used by Boom provide lighter and stronger fuselages. They are moldable materials based on carbon fiber that ensure forms of excellent aerodynamic coefficient.

These technical advances make it possible to develop speeds higher than those of the Concord, which will allow the Supersonic Boom to fly from Tokyo to San Francisco in just over 5 hours and from Madrid to Boston in just 3 ½ hours.

In addition, the aircraft will offer premium amenities that will compete directly with the first class service of regular commercial aircraft. Its cabin will offer 55 reclining seats and personal windows for all passengers. This is a very important detail, since the supersonic flight will take place at 60,000 feet, an altitude where you can see the curvature of the earth and the deep blue of the sky.

Premium cabins of the Supersonic Boom

The spacious and comfortable cabin of the Boom supersonic, will allow passengers to relax, work or entertain themselves during flights. And in many cases, reach their destination before any sort of unpleasant jet-lag takes effect on the traveler’s body.

Added to this, this revolutionary aircraft is designed so that the airlines that operate them can offer their services at the cost of a regular business-class ticket, making it an unbeatable commercial proposal that includes exclusivity, luxury, comfort and a lot of speed.

Boom Supersonic will have 55 seats for passengers

With respect to environmental sustainability, Boom says that his supersonic aircraft will not contaminate the environment further, nor will it cause more noise than the commercial aircraft we know today.

Blake Scholl, CEO and founder of Boom, explains what the objective of his ambitious commercial project is: “Speed is not about going faster; it’s about being closer. It’s about making distant places feel like they’re around the corner. If we can fly twice as fast, the world becomes twice as small, approaching distant lands and facilitating the encounter.”

Boom Supersonic will begin testing at the end of 2018

The first test flights of Boom supersonic aircraft will be carried out at the end of 2018. It is expected that by 2025, the company will deliver its first units. Companies such as Virgin Airlines and Japan Airlines have already expressed their intention to acquire dozens of units of the new supersonic aircraft.

Boom Supersonic

For now, plane lovers will have to wait a few more years for the return of supersonic flights to be finally a reality.